Unique Facts about Luxembourg

Recently we spent a few days in the tiny country Luxembourg. But mainly in Luxembourg City. Luxembourg is landlocked and bordered by Belgium, France and Germany. Luxembourg. It has the highest GDP per capita in the European Union. The total population is just under 682 000 and the size of the county is only 2 586km² in contrast with Ireland which is 84 421 km² and then South Africa which is a massive 1.22 million km²!

Background

Since 1994 Luxembourg City’s old Town has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site and you can see why. Just strolling along the boulevard you can enjoy resplendent views of the historical part of Luxembourg and it’s medieval architecture. Some parts date back to 963 when Count Siegfried of the Ardeness built his fortified castle on the Bock promontory, the cradle of the city of Luxembourg.

In the Old City you’ll see abbeys and other buildings that have been transformed into public cultural highlights. And then on the other side there are modern districts like Kirchberg where you’ll find the Modern Art museum, Mudam, and the Philharmonie buildings (see photo above).

Unique Facts

The Luxembourg flag is almost identical to the Dutch flag. Horizontal lines red, white and blue. The most obvious difference is that the blue in the Luxembourg flag is a slightly lighter blue. Now Luxembourg and the Netherlands are, together with Belgium, referred to a the Benelux Union which was formed in 1944. Those days it was more of a custom union while these days it is more of an economic, cultural union. I can actually remember my parents (both Dutch) talking about the Benelux countries, alluding to those three countries. And then during the 19^th century there were Dutch kings who were also Grand Dukes of Luxembourg. So who knows precisely why the flags are so similar?
Since February 2020 there has been free public transport for everyone in the country, also for tourists. You just get on a bus, tram, train or even on the funicular railway and go, no tickets involved. Passengers only need to buy a ticket if they want to travel first class or board a cross-border train. This was introduced to help in the fight against traffic jams and air pollution in the country.
Petrol and diesel prices were at least 25-30 cent cheaper than in Ireland when we were there (beginning of June 2025). Apparently, this is because of lower taxes, specifically VAT and excise duties. Hoewever, fuel prices in Luxembourg are not the lowest in the EU, but they are significantly lower than the neighbouring countries. No wonder that some of our family in the Netherlands told us to fill up once we arrived in Luxembourg.
In the middle of the city centre there is a gorge splitting the centre in two. The deep valleys and high cliffs are still reminiscent of the area’s dominion since the ‘Lucilinburhuc‘ (Small Castle) was established in 963 and for almost 1000 years became a fortress so strong it was known as ‘Gibraltar of the North‘. There are beautiful green areas within walking distance from the old city with enormous trees and footpaths. This is a welcome retreat and a cool (literally) haven to enjoy your lunch or read or just take a quick nap.
We took a bustour around the city and realised that Luxembourg is one of three institutional seats of the European Union. It hosts a large number of European institutions, agencies and bodies including the European Parliament’s General Secretariat, the Court of Justice of the EU and more. The Council of the European Union also holds its sessions in Luxembourg during April, June and October.
We did see some homeless people in the city and interesting enough, most have a dog as company. This is really heartwarming because they then have a friend and a purpose. Most of these dogs also looked well cared for. Under the Red Cross Luxembourg banner the ‘Pattegäng‘ project was launched as part of the streetwork service. This project offers free dog training courses to homeless people or those living in precarious conditions.